Blackjack 101: Blackjack Odds Charts

Casino Odds

Casinos use math to win money from players. They set the rules of their games in such a way that they are always guaranteed a mathematical advantage over players. By knowing the odds of the casino game you are playing, you will know how you stand against the house. Sometimes depending on the game, you can employ strategy to reduce the house edge or turn create an edge for the player. This article gives some blackjack odds charts.

Blackjack Odds Charts

It is important to know the odds especially in blackjack where you always need to make decisions. Among others, you have to consider the hand you are dealt, the odds of busting when you hit, as well as the dealer's up card and their own odds.

Busting a Hand Odds Chart

Here is the blackjack odds chart for busting a hand. Of course, your hand total changes if it is a soft hand since the ace can be a 1 or 11.

From this chart, you can see why it is wise to always stand on a hard 17: the chances of busting are almost 70%. You can also see that hand totals of 12-16 are those tough hands you have to decide on. These best strategies for these depend on the dealer's up card.

Hand totals of 11 or lower have no chance of busting at all since the highest card that can be drawn is an ace or a ten, neither of which will cause an 11 hand to bust.

Starting Hand Odds Chart

Here is another blackjack odds chart. It shows the probability of being dealt the types of blackjack hands. The most important of these is the natural or blackjack hand. It pays 3 to 2 in most games.

The odds change as the content of the deck or shoe changes. This is why card counting works. If there are more ten-valued cards left in the deck, for example, then there are more chances of busting especially for the dealer, whose decisions are predetermined by the rules. Likewise, if there are lower cards left, the chances of a player hitting a blackjack are fewer.

Each card denomination affects the odds to a certain degree when it is removed. For example, when all 5 cards are removed, it is most advantageous for the player. If all aces are removed, it is most advantageous for the dealer. The fact that some cards are more beneficial (for the player) and others worse is the logic behind card counting.